Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 12

Hello!

I have finally finished the Catalyst OTM cycle, and I must say that it has been a great ride. I feel kind of unfortunate that I had to skip a week between week 11 and 12. A lot of things came up really suddenly (including a Sabaton/Nightwish concert!!) and I was just not in a position to train.

I think that skipping that week, and then doing things like trampolining over that weekend sort of messed me up for week 12. Unfortunately, I was unable to end the term with a PR. Pretty disappointing, but not a big deal.

Week 12 is actually meant to be a deload week that concludes the training cycle with max attempts on the last day. I think that as a part of the program, it would work effectively as a taper to a max. But because I messed up by taking a week off, I was not really ready for heavy weights on the max days. I also split the max day in to two separate days for Snatch/CJ.

Snatching went great, I spent the week working on technique and feeling it out and getting back into it. And on Sunday, I felt really good about snatching. I hit up to 165 without missing. I'm not sure if maybe it was just out of position a bit or I'm just weak, but 165 felt really heavy overhead. And I think that thought along with the pressure of going for a PR messed me up for 170. It's a major weakness of mine, to get nervous before going for a PR. It's 5lbs, perfectly within my capability, practically not even heavier than the previous weight. It's all in my head though; demons I must conquer. Oh well, I was happy to be able to hit 165 twice.

CJ I think is what I messed up with the week off. I wasn't really prepared to go heavy. And I think I made the other mistake of taking minimal warm up weights. The idea was to conserve energy for the max attempts, but the jumps were a bit too big (I was taking 15lb jumps), and the weight felt too heavy off the ground that I just crashed on receiving. It's been a weakness since the day I started lifting, and it has improved a lot, but I still need to work on preventing the bar from crushing me on the receive. I guess a part of it is just confident from lifting heavy often. Either way, the second 225 I missed the jerk because the clean was really inefficient. Now to be fair, I haven't Front Squatted more than 225 for probably > 6 months.

Not such a big deal. I think 225 is a weight that is meant to be lifted for the first time at the PAC. And I hope this coming term to hit it pretty quickly! All it takes is a good day xD

So overall progress with the program: I'm happy. I know that all I managed was a 5lb PR on both lifts. But the program brought my Snatch up from around 135, and I was practically not CJing at all when I started. Besides, I make really really slow progress in weightlifting. I think the OTM cycle was just what I needed. It's unfortunate that complications occurred, such as delaying days/weeks, and the inability to decide on a form to stay consistent with (esp. for the Snatch). But I still think that consistency and confidence have improved significantly.

Moving forward, I will be taking a week off to recuperate mentally/physically. I'll try to post up my next cycle for the summer term by the end of the week. It won't be as set in stone as this one, because I know things will always come up during the school term. The focus will be imbalance correction, Structural/postural & Overhead strength. I think I'll also be squatting more, to try and keep the squatting movement fresh and get the weights back up to what they were before.

Thanks a lot for following, friends! Stay strong!

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 11

Week 11 has been a great week!

I finally finally managed to break my Snatch plateau.

I think it's been close to a year since I snatched 155. I hit 160 like 1-2 weeks after that. And then I tried 165, and I missed. So I tried it again, and I missed. And I tried, and missed again. And again. And again. And again. I would hit 160 just fine, everything was good. Add 5lbs on the bar, and all of a sudden it becomes impossible to lift. 165 haunted me. I used to have nightmares about that weight. I don't even know why, I had the strength to lift it, it was just a mental barrier. Technique always broke down significantly, I'd knock it forward, or I couldn't tighten up and receive it well; everything was just bad.

And then I started thinking about 160. "What if I miss 160..." And I missed. And then I thought about 155. "...What if I miss this too..." And on and on. Next thing I knew, I was missing 135lbs.

I don't lift much weight. But I've already found that this sport is incredibly hard. Not just physically, but mentally. You have to be prepared. You have to believe in yourself at a level beyond thought. Absolute faith in your ability, and you have to be brave enough to pull yourself underneath a heavy ass bar. I lack this.

This was a really depressing time for me. I've never progressed fast in weightlifting. It took me years to get my squat to where it is, and then you can compare it to people who can walk into the gym and squat just as much within a week. So to see my snatch, my favourite lift, actually accumulating negative progress was pretty demotivating.

I was even training 4-5 times a week, and when each session is 3-4 hours long, you spend a lot of time in the gym. Backwards progress is the last thing you want to see.

The Catalyst cycle has been great for me. It's helped me get back to where I was before without over thinking things. I guess all I needed was a reset, high volume at low weights and the ability to throw out my ego. Maybe all that happened was that I got really burned out always trying to push myself. But lessons were learned.

This was the penultimate week of the cycle. The last time you work up to heavy singles. Week 12 is essentially a deload and taper up to a max out day.

Clean and Jerks were a little bit bleh. Main reason was that I was apathetic and put them on the back burner to really push the snatch. I know I can do well in the CJ if I'm well rested.

So, I don't actually have the time this week for week 12's training unfortunately. I'm going to try to sneak in a training session tomorrow but it's a maybe. Week 12 will probably be next week. It's not such a big deal I think. The rest is just going to be trying to hit a PR or two. The goals are 170/225.

So, what's going to happen next?

After the cycle, I'm going to take a short break. I'm feeling really burned out after these 15ish weeks of training 5 times a week for 4 hours a day (my warm up takes forever :( ). So the week before classes is probably going to be all rest, with maybe one or two sessions.

Next term is when I'll begin the new cycle. I think it's pretty obvious watching the video, the reason for my misses at the heaviest weights seems to stem largely from the imbalances that have been formed due to the recent hip injury and my eternally stiff shoulder. At heavy weights I end up gripping and ripping, thus not controlling my movements very well, and imbalances just show more at heavy weights generally.

So fixing those imbalances will be one of the primary focuses for next term's training. For this, I'll probably be taking a much more active approach using exercise selection in the workout as opposed to just stretching and activation in the warmup/cool down. The second focus will be structural/postural strength. I'll be doing a lot of pulls, RDLs, SLDs, etc. To try and maintain strength over the bar and better back positioning. Will probably be 4 days a week (but will vary a lot with class and associated work). Squats will probably be low weight/high volume (to work on the imbalances). I'm also planning on working on Overhead stability. I've been basically power snatching exclusively this term. Partially to save the injured hip, but also because thinking about power snatching really helps tighten up and receive the bar well for me. It's just that my best weights are so low that I have the strength to power snatch them, but I lack other things that cause me to miss. But to get better, I still need to be prepared to hit full snatches though.

Will definitely be carrying forward loading and programming experiences learned from the OTM cycle.

Thanks for the read! Thanks for the support!

PS I'm sorry for being so loud! I've been encouraging myself to let loose a bit more, especially since I'm lifting alone. And the moment I locked out 165 was so cathartic that I ended up getting a bit excited xD

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 10

Week 10 is done. It was a really blergh week. I can make excuses like tiring work and horrible traffic (which for some reason persisted throughout the week). But I dunno, I just wasn't feeling it.

Sunday was better, though I had plenty of rest before then.

No video this week, didn't really have enough footage to justify it :p

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 9

Week 9 is done.

The program has switched to a Bulgarian style daily max training thing. And I've found it so far to be really hard, tiring and time consuming xD

I was doing fine for a Snatch HS and CJ HS once a week on a weekend when I'm rested. But It's really hard on weekdays after a long day at work. I was struggling with CJs this week but then I realized, at the end of the week too, that my start position was off. Also, didn't really have the energy after snatching heavy + back off sets.

The program also includes heavy singles for squats, which is a major first for me. I haven't squatted a heavy single in a really long time, as the last time I was avidly training squats, they were on a high volume program. But this is kind of good because it lets me see where I am, sort of. If only I wasn't so tired when it came time to squatting xD

IT band/Quad on my right leg was feeling really tight this week, so I took it easy on the squats anyway. 240 was 6 reps before the hip injury. I'm hoping to hit a minimum of 275 back squat by the end of the term/cycle.

Unfortunately, family things came up on Sunday so I had to move the training session back to Saturday. This meant I had 5 training sessions in a row. I think the result of this is pretty evident, in that I couldn't hit a 155 snatch on Saturday. (but I'm just making excuses xD)

That being said, I was really glad to hit 155 twice. 150 is the weight I expect myself to be able to hit on a daily basis. So getting back up to 155 feels good. Though every day it happened on the 2nd attempt. If I get it on the first, I'll try for 160. But I need to train smart through this phase. Can't spend excessive energy chasing Snatch PRs and miss out on the Clean and Jerk part. Just gotta put in the work.

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 8

Week 8 was a bit of a bleh week. I'm glad it was a deload week, because I felt so lethargic and more than that, apathetic. Part of the reason is that I was really into the Cricket world cup. I care a little bit less now that Pakistan's been knocked out, but I really wanna play some cricket!

So every day felt like I was just going through the motions.

There's also a lot of accumulated fatigue over the term. Not just physically, but because of work and as always, lack of sleep.

Oh well, will try to be more involved in the coming weeks. The program is now going to begin a bulgarian style cycle, with heavy singles on the Snatch, CJ and squats 3x a week. I'm going to veer off the written path in one major way: The program will have 2 days where CJ's are performed before Snatches. I can appreciate what Greg was doing here, but I think my priority is still on the snatch, so I'll be doing the snatches first.

Adios, and have a good week friends!

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 7

Week 7 is finally done, and with it the high volume portion of this program. Good riddance! (This OTM stuff is so tiring!)

On paper, this looks like a really good week. In many ways it was, but it was hell to get through as well. Back tightness from last week continued periodically throughout the week. As a result, the Jerk day was really not as good as it could have been, but still not bad. Unfortunately, I was so tired after that jerk training session that come Thursday for Cleans, my upper back was just fried. I had a really tough time staying tight on the receive, so I didn't want to push Cleans too much.

Snatching went great! Sort of. I managed to super man 150 after like 18 other reps at or above 85% on Tuesday. It displayed my imbalances to the worst extent they can be though :D. I was really in the mindset of "Just pick this thing up, man."

Friday's reps felt awkward, but I think were important in coming up with the right feeling and helped a lot on Sunday.

Sunday was awesome. Snatched up to 155, and probably couldve done 160 (in another attempt) if I didn't want to save energy for CJs. 160 is the all time best, and I haven't hit anything above 150 for close to 8 months now =|

As is evident in the video, back angle in the snatch is still a major source of inconsistency. The issue is that I just don't know what's right, and I end up improvising according to what feels right the day of...

The issue is that naturally, my back angle would be very horizontal. This feels good in some ways, letting me keep the bar closer in the 3rd pull, but it sacrifices so much power that I have a hard time power snatching anything. It also leads to drifting on my toes, and since I have a weak back, forces a bunch of arm bend.

On the other hand, if I keep my back more vertical, my hips are in a far better position to produce power and I can power snatch my best (probably, maybe?). It also seems to result in a tighter receive. Unfortunately, I end up hitting the bar forward, and this is really costly.

I've been trying to find a middle ground...I guess the experimentation continues =|

BUT GOOD NEWS

A PR, FINALLY! (after like 6 months or something)

And a big one! 220lb/100kg Clean and Jerk! It's only 5lbs better than the previous, but it's huge! First three digit lift, so pretty happy. Not as happy as 225 will make me though! :)

Interestingly, I really was not feeling C&J's on Sunday. Especially the jerks. I was pretty tired after Snatching, and sort of just did it. The jerks were crappy (kept shifting to front leg and not getting front foot out enough), but I managed to do the work. I'm confident that 230 is in the park on a better day.

Also, I randomly suffered an ab cramp while walking around yesterday (after training). It's a bit sore today, but hopefully will be better for tomorrows training.

Week 8 is deload week! (Thank you Greg :) )



p.s. I apologize for all the man grunting. I don't know when I became so noisy >_>

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 6 + Week 6.5

Hi everyone, super late on updating this.

I finished two weeks of training pretty well, including a fun Sunday at the PAC.

But for some reason, on Tuesday when I was meant to start week 7, my back was like NOPE. I think I slept in an awkward position and I woke up with it soo tight, in a way it hasn't been tight before. This time it was the thoracic area, not the traps like usual :p

I decided, regretfully to redo what I did in week 4.5 and take the week easy. All I did was 2 snatch technique sessions.

Will be starting week 7 tomorrow hopefully...

On a different note, I've sort of learned that training 5x a week is a bit too much for my body. It sucks, since that's like the minimum to make decent progress...But every time I train 5x a week, injuries happen >_>
I still plan on finishing this program, but it's something I'm keeping in mind moving forward.

Anyways, week 6:

Pretty decent week actually! 

I'm sort of starting to figure out Cues and etc. for Snatches. They're feeling decent. Cleans this week were awkward and weird, except for Sunday when I matched by all time best CJ of 215. That day Cleans felt awesome O_o, funny because snatches felt horrible. 

Jerks are feeling pretty good as well. 

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 4.5 + Week 5

Bit of a weird two weeks. For some reason, 2 days into week 5 the first time around, my hamstring felt a bit funny (just tight I think), I didn't want to injure it so I decided to rest out the week and begin week 5 again the next week. So I basically had a longer resting period in which 2 training sessions happened. These are those two:

Then this past week, I've gone and done the week properly. I also took the opportunity to move training days to free up Saturday, since everyone always wants to do stuff on Saturday :) 

Not such a bad week. Cleans are feeling better than ever (though I'm starting to get into that bad habit of not pulling long enough). Jerks felt good, but a bit wonky on Sunday. The main issue there was that I was starting to put too much weight on the front foot and not balancing the split properly. Just something to keep in mind going forward I think. 

Snatches are crappy as always. I figured out to how to get the best barpath with the new heels. The solution seems to be to starting with the bar farther away. This is really weird for me, because I have never (not once) lifted a weight without it touching my shins. I don't really have much strength in this kind of first pull, and that seems to throw my shoulder off position so my stupid imbalances act up more than before.

I believe practice is key here, because this is almost definitely the best way for me to lift. I've been doing some analysis of longer legged lifters (like Yurik Vardanyan,) and the main difference seems to be starting with the bar farther away. 

If the bar is farther away, the first part of the movement can have the bar coming back in, while my knees also move out of the way. If my legs were touching the bar, my shins are too long and would always force the bar to move out unless I sacrificed the back angle significantly. 

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 4

A day late in uploading this, but week 4 is over. No videos this week because it was a deload week so not really that interesting.

I got my heel height on the shoes adjusted (raised by 1/2'') on Friday. So the last two days were really about trying to adapt. It'll probably take a while, so I'll be playing it on the slightly conservative side.

On the other hand, this was absolutely the first time I've done a deload week. I'm really glad it's there, because I was starting to feel really beat up. Interestingly, I've always had great progress for the first 4-5 weeks of a program and then suddenly been unable to lift as much/as well. I never thought that it was over training, namely because I figured that I just don't lift heavy enough to be over trained.

Even mentally, it's nice to have a break. One of the reasons for my lack of success in this sport is almost definitely how much I stress myself out over it ._.

In hindsight, I can see why I should have incoporated deload weeks.

Looking forward to week 5. The program is starting to get hard, and it'll be harder with me trying to adjust to the new heel height. But hopefully, things will work out for the better!

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 3

Woohoo, week 3 is over.

And it has left me really tired. This program is starting to get tough, so I'm glad that the coming week is a deload week.

Other than an iffy first day of Snatching, it was another good week of training. More goofs at heavier weights, but I'm starting to see where the weaknesses lie. I was happy to hit 150/195, which is heavier than I've done on either lift in a while.

Though that 150 Snatch was super iffy lol
And I can't believe I didn't get that 200, it's like my right elbow just didn't feel like coming up all the way :(

But as for weaknesses, I think it's pretty obvious from watching the video that back strength is a major one. I really need to work on it. At heavier weights, I have a very hard time staying over the bar, and the back collapses. I used to compensate through this by bending my arms, but after having corrected that (to a degree hopefully), now I just collapse and start the second pull because the body doesn't want to stay over the bar any longer. It seems to be a major cause for me missing heavier lifts (especially with Snatches)

Also, I need to be really conscious about keeping the back tight. This is pretty evident if you watch Monday's session (in the gray full sleeve) where I lifted the heaviest weights. For some reason that day I just forgot to queue proper back tightness, and I lost it instantly. It should be passive, unqued, automatic.

Fortunately, this program has shown me SDLs, and what a great exercise they are!
I've also incorporated Snatch Grip RDLs (just like the SDL but with bent knees) for flexibility and back strength. Back strength will definitely be an ongoing process in my training and will probably feature as a more critical part of future programs.

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 2

Week 2's training went pretty well. It was a bit of a rocky start because I sort of forgot about some of the changes I'd made to my Clean starting position until after I did all of my 20 cleans. I was really confused as to why it felt so different and why I was pulling really low off the legs...Oh well >_>

Shoulders feeling really tight. Well, not really shoulders. More like traps/neck. The new office job isn't helping with this, and it's pretty noticeable in the video (if you watch the bar rotate overhead.)

I've always had this imbalance where my right shoulder is significantly less flexible than my left...This means the right shoulder doesn't go as far back as the left, so the left takes a bit longer and that's why you see that rotation. It's something I'm working on at the end/beginning of training sessions.

First time snatching upto 145 in a long time. Was less than perfect (could've stayed over the bar much longer), but glad I could do it without too much difficulty.

Couple of goofs, but overall a good week.

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 1

Hey everyone.

I've decided to start documenting my weightlifting again. I stopped a while ago because I felt like I was making nothing but backwards progress and was somewhat embarrassed and what not. But anyways, I'm going to try my best to keep up with it this time.

There's a change though, I'll be recording training sessions weekly instead of daily. I think this is not just more manageable for me, but more entertaining and easier to read for you guys.

Where I am:

Well, the past few months have been iffy. I had a pretty major hip injury that stopped me from lifting (other than Power snatches and back exercises) for the better part of 2 months. The injury has gotten better now, but I'm left with a couple of imbalances that I'm still working on.

Because of this injury, I won't be squatting really heavy. The focus for this next training cycle will be on technical consistency and improving strength in pulling positions.

To this end, I've decided to, for the first time in my life, run a weightlifting program. I decided that I was thinking too much and confusing myself by self-programming. To that end, I'm going to try the Catalyst Atheletes OTM (on the minute) cycle.

Here's a link:
http://www.catalystathletics.com/olympic-weightlifting-training-program/54/On-The-Minute-Cycle/

I've been doing some similar training recently and I really loved it for technical consistency. Luckily for me, after I spent so long learning a specific & odd style for the Snatch, I decided to flip it and go back to what's more conventional (so I have to relearn everything! :( )

I will be running the above program with some modifications to better tailor it to my own weaknesses. (I think modifications are crucial to a general program, you just need to be smart about it.)

This is how my progress will be shared - With a picture of my daily tracking whiteboard! And occasional videos (though I don't have any for the past week!)

Bottom right corner has the weights I'm using as working maxes going into the program. As you can see, I'm taking it really easy on squats (otherwise I'd have 315 BS & ~250 FS)

So...

Week 1 went pretty well. Weights were generally programmed really light so no major problems. Only miss was that 185 CJ, which was a dumb mistake on the Clean. 

Just so terminology is clear:

OTM: On the minute. This is the trick with this program. The idea is to have a timer running and perform the lift every minute. I've found this to be super advantageous to really get into a good rhythm (and I swear that must be one of the most important things in weightlifting). Also, the movement stays pretty fresh in your mind after every rep, so that helps with technical consistency.

FS: Front Squat

BS: Back Squat

OHS: Overhead Squat

SLDL: Stiff Legged Deadlift

BTNSN: Push Press: Behind the neck Snatch grip push press

SN: Snatch

C&J: Clean and Jerk

Moving forward, I'm going to change the board to show reps x sets. I've always used sets x reps, but it's confusing because the program is written reps x sets...xD 

I'm hoping this program goes well. I'm really behind on my goals! 

Training - 23rd May 2014

Clean and Jerk: D1RM: 205x1+1, 3x1+1 @ (195*, 195*, 185*, 185)
Paused Front Squat: 3x3 @ (195,200,205)
BSS x3, Ab Wheel x3

Strange session. Started off great with matching my previous best with a much more confident and smoother lift than the last time, but then the back off sets I just goofed everything. Not really sure, maybe I was too confident from the 205?

Meant to do Snatch Balances, but they were really irritating my left hip for some reason so decided to leave them out =|

Feels unproductive, but meh!

Training - 20th & 21st May 2014

20th May:

Snatch: D1RM: 160, 3x2 @ (145, 145, 145)
Clean + Jerk: 1+2 @ (170,170,170,170)
Front Squat: D3RM: 215, 2x5 @ (195, 195)
BSS x 3, Ab Wheel x3

21st May:

Snatch: 4x3 @ (130,130,130,130)
P. Clean + Hang Clean + Jerk: 4x1+1+1 @ (160, 160, 160, 160)
Snatch Pull: w/ rebend: 3x3 @ (145,145,145), 2x2 @ (155, 155) w/o rebend: 2x2 @ (165,170)
BNSGP: 65x5x10
Russian Twists 3x

So it's been almost a month since I updated promising I would update more often.

Well, I suck.

It's been hectic with the start of work, but training has been going really well. Starting to get a nice routine down, so hopefully look forward to more frequent updates to the log!

Weightlifters and Squatting

Squatting. Isn't that what weightlifting is all about? I mean intuitively, weightlifters have a tendency to find themselves in a squatted position with a bar either overhead or across their shoulders. So naturally, one would assume that an integral part of weightlifting is the stability and strength required to be in that position. If one was to make such an assumption, he would be correct! If this intelligent person then extrapolated to thinking about how to benefit the classical lifts (Snatch and Clean & Jerk), and came up with the idea of isolating this portion of the classicals to strengthen in training, he would be my hero!

Enter the Back and Front Squat!

This beautiful, hairy Russian man is responsible for one of the most iconic pictures in weightlifting, as well as the second highest recorded Clean and Jerk of all time! Also, moustache.

 For the uninitiated, the back squat involves the bar being loaded across the back of a lifter (usually from squat stands) before said lifter takes a deep breath, curses his existence and squats down to the ground and stands back up. It is one of the most commonly performed exercises in any gym, and for good reason. Honestly, nothing (except maybe a Clean and Jerk) would give an ordinary bro greater bang for buck than a Back Squat!

Front Squats on the other hand are a little bit more elusive. Loading the bar across the front deltoids results in a very different, but similar movement to the back squat. It also means you can lift less, are forced to keep strict form, and if you suck like me, have a tough time breathing :p

Everyone's favourite weightlifter - Dimitry Klokov performing a (really heavy) Paused Front Squat. Kind of looks similar to the position at the bottom of a Clean doesn't it?!

There are many different ways that people squat. In the end, any given person's squat position is dictated by his proportions, weaknesses/strengths, flexibility and intent.

As weightlifters, our aim when squatting is to directly aid the classical movements. As such, our intention is never to lift maximal weights, but to lift in a way with maximum transferability to the classicals. In other words, we want to strengthen our bodies in the same position that they would find themselves in when performing a classical.

End of cycle, term and year...and looking forward!

Merriment and happiness are in the air as winter has finally brought it's festive charm to our door steps! Always a nice time of year, when I curse the onset of winter (which I dislike greatly mind you!) despite loving the absolute lack of work/worry.

It is also a time, in between the jolly celebrations, to look back on your year and see what you have accomplished. As befits this goal, I have decided to undertake the task of creating this post!

I would like to preface this by saying that my weightlifting goals this year were thoroughly not met! I somewhat over estimated myself, and under estimated the barbell...But more so than that, I underestimated the absurdity of Mechanical Engineering 1B which totally ruined my day!

Either way, this was still a successful year of accomplishment for yours truly in the realm of weightlifting. Why, I believe this is the year that I learned how to Snatch / Clean and Jerk. Having started in November 2012, I spent the first at least two months simply trying to obtain the required flexibility for an Overhead squat (something I am still somewhat lacking in!). With that in mind, true technical training I felt began January. And the first co op term of 2013 (Jan-April) was an amazing time for me. Much progress was made, more of it being in movement and mindset than weight on the bar. Strength increased significantly throughout, and flexibility just got better and better. More than anything, body awareness improved drastically.

Just when things were set for me to burst from my suckyness in an explosion of awesomeness...1B Mech. Engineering slapped my face in to the ground with ruthless abandon. Unfortunately, I was simply unprepared for how little and inconsistently I would actually get to train this term. It took a big toll on moral! However, there were definite improvements made from when I did train. The main thing to improve here was the ability to pull under the bar without delay.

Finally, the third term of the year and my second co op term. I had really high hopes coming in to this one, and even ended up starting up this blog in eager anticipation. Unfortunately, early injury took a toll on not only moral but progress! Unfortunately, at least 2 out of 4 months were spent simply coping/ trying to figure out positioning and fixing imbalances caused by the injury (A lot of which still need fixing :( ). That being said, decent progress was made and things have definitely got better.

So, I ended the term/year with numbers significantly less than what I had hoped for. My excuses can be found above. However, it would be foolish to lose hope here. Progress is progress, and that alone is all important. I have learned a lot this year. The most important of which is that I can not trust Engineering to give me time to get strong!

Anyway, now that this training cycle is over it is time to look forward. Immediately, for this next school term, I will be putting the classical lifts aside. Instead, I will try my best to focus on strength. Namely squat/pulling. At the same time, I hope to work towards correcting some of those imbalances that have been bugging me.

The main reason for this is that I have less time to train during the school term, and focusing on strength requires less frequency/commitment I believe than trying to keep up with something as movement oriented as the Classicals. It is also beneficial. The idea being to increase classical weights not now, but in the future.

With that being said, this term starts with Smolov Jr. I will be running the famous program for Back Squats for the 2 weeks of winter break and the first week of 2A. After that, a reassessment will determine the next best path!

To cap off this long winded and lame post, here is a video of some Clean and Jerk PR's from the last day of the cycle. Unfortunately, having not snatched heavy for a month, I was not as successful in the other lift. But the potential is definitely there.

Training - 10th Dec. 2013

Snatch Technique: More technique work, I think I did a lot of pulls and up to around 3 doubles at 125
Front Squat: 195x1x3, 205x4x3
Ab Wheel 3x

Today was a bit weird. Was planning on doing the usual wave loading sequence for Front Squats. However, for some reason I started feeling really dizzy holding the bar for an extended period of time. So I decided not to do any 5 rep squats, opting for a few sets of 3.

I also skipped Jerks and Rows. Mainly because I ended up getting too distracted having fun / giving bad form advice to a couple of gym bro friends. Good times were had, so I don't mind too much.

Nearing the end of the cycle anyway.

On learning to deal with injury

The past few weeks have been tough for me. Well, mentally tough-not so much physically. The simple reason being too injured to train.

Injury is a massive part of Weightlifting. The majority of that part of course being the avoidance of the aforementioned. Despite that, injury at some point is inevitable. They say that if you aren't getting injured, you aren't doing something right. I do agree with this sentiment.

I've read a few articles claiming that Weightlifting is one of the safest sports, statistically speaking. I'm not really sure what to make of these though, personally I've always thought that Weightlifting is a sport that happens in the training hall, not the competition platform. Too little time is spent on the platform to be an accurate representation of how common injuries are in the sport. At the same time, I feel like the two weightlifting movements (when performed correctly) are inherently safer than a lot of other sports. Luge and Horseback Riding both being examples. Even in football (soccer), I feel like injuries would be more common.

But the fact of the matter is that heaving a heavy weight over your head continuously is bound to have some sort of consequences for the body.

I must throw this bar weighing 3 times myself over my head, the Supreme Leader will protect me from injury!

Most common in Weightlifting would probably be soft tissue injures. So things like a strained back or pulled Hamstring. These are combined with overuse injuries. After years and years of lifting, I'm sure that the stresses on your joints would cause some issues. The more rare case would be something like a dislocated elbow or shoulder. Worst is probably a spinal injury...

Injuries seem to correspond directly to own muscular weaknesses, disproportion or tightness. They are pretty individualized, and everyone seems to suffer from their own personal set. Yet a lot of things can be better fixed by improving positioning and technique. Inherently, when performed correctly, the two lifts are safe. They use the body in an efficient and ergonomic way, and with the proper activation of musculature many injuries can be avoided. 

The fundamental Principle of Weightlifting

When I first started weightlifting, the squat portion of the lift didn't really make sense to me. I thought that the idea of the lift was to get the bar over head, then squat and then stand up and ta-da you are amazing!

However, upon starting I started to realize that the only purpose in the sport is to get the bar overhead. There is no need for a squat. So why then does everyone seem to end up in a deep squatted position when doing said throwing of weights over head? The answer to this question is the same as the answer to every question in this sport: to lift maximal weights overhead with minimal exertion.

To be honest, it didn't really start out this way. The origins of weightlifting interestingly involved something called a split snatch or a split clean. Where, similarly to a split jerk, the weight would be received in some sort of quasi lunge.

The now obsolete split Snatch  (really cool though!)

However, at some point smart lifters started figuring out that there was another way to lift. Many started lifting heavier weights by receiving in a deep squatted position.

An absurdly deep position! Like really? God damn asians! >=[

Well it's really simple. Let's say I asked you to lift a weight, do you think it would be easier to bend over and muscle the weight up onto your shoulders? Or would it be easier to get into a squat beneath the weight and stand up with it? I think intuitively it is pretty obvious. Our legs are amazingly strong, and can lift heavy weights much more easily than our arms/back/etc can manage in the positions they would have to be in to muscle something overhead.

So basically, the primary principle behind weightlifting would be the following:

Displace your body underneath the weight, allowing your legs to stand up with it.

Current Status and moving forward

1B as a school term was...annoying to say the least. It resulted in me being unable to make any significant progress in weightlifting due to work. In all fairness, I could have planned things out better- shorter sessions, strength phase etc. But It is a learning experience.

I found that I was unable to gather enough training frequency and consistency through the term. Sometimes I would lift once a week, and another week I'd go twice but separated by many days. The final result is that the motor patterns required for a complex movement like the Snatch need to be constantly re primed and every single lifting session feels awkward, heavy and hard.

After school ended, I had two weeks to spend back home. Knowing that weightlifting in Richmond Hill would be a challenge, I decided to go all out with a squatting program. So I ran Smolov Jr. for Front Squats.

This was a good idea. My squatting is weak, and is a limiting factor for the Clean and Jerk. Smolov Jr is a 3 week Russian program which emphasizes a single lift. It forces you to lift 4 times a week, never doing less than 30 reps in a single session for the given lift and then increasing the weights each week. I found it to be amazingly effective.

Front Squats are tricky with high volume because the upper back fatigues really fast. This however was a further motivator for me to use them, Front Squats are probably the absolute most effective exercise I can personally do right now because they train all of my weaknesses - more on that later.

Anyway, it was hard. But effective, squatted heavier weights than before for way more volume much more easily. haven't tested max yet.

Unfortunately, I got myself slightly injured on the 2nd last day of Smolov Jr doing something a bit stupid so had to take ~5 days off and couldn't REALLY finish the program. Since then, I've done 3 sessions as a re priming of the classical lifts which I haven't done in a month and haven't REALLY done in 5 months. The official program starts tomorrow:

Current working Program starting 15/9/2013:

sets x reps

when sets are written out, the spaces indicate increase in weight

Two different exercises separated by a +  means super setting. 

Midsection encompasses all abdominal work, mainly going to be wheel roll out and some other ab stuff I just make up. 

A:
Snatch (5x2)
Front Squat (wave loaded - 3x(5,3,1) wt. increasing each wave)
Jerk off the rack:  2x3,  3x2,  work up to a heavy single
Rows  3x8   +  Midsection

B:
Pull (w/ rebound) + Snatch from blocks:  3+1, 3+1,     2+1, 2+1,    1+1, 1+1,    +1
Power Clean + Clean + Jerk:     4x
Clean Pull:   3x3,   1,   1
Dips 3x   +  Midsection

C:
Clean and Jerk: 2x(2+1),   2+1,     1+1 until a heavy single for the day.
Front Squat: work upto near a 1RM, drop to ~70% of that and do 3s increasing until ~3rm, then 2x5 for speed.
Push Press:   5x5
Rows  3x8   +  Midsection

D:
Power Snatch + Snatch:   5x(1+1)
Clean Complex: 4x (Clean from blocks + Clean from ground + 2x FS + Jerk.)
Snatch Pull:    3x3,   1,   1
Dips 3x  +  Midsection

E:
Snatch:    2x2,     1x2,    work up to a heavy single for the day
Back Squat:  1,     3x3,      2x6
Glute Ham Raise:  5x    +    BTN Snatch Grip Press    5x5
Rows  3x8  +  Midsection

F:
Probably go swimming? Make sure to do something physical.

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It is somewhat Bulgarian in style in the sense that I have 3 intense days separated by 2 less intense days which I can also use for technical improvement.
Hopefully this works well, I will have to evaluate fatigue and progress as things go on and changes will for sure be made. An option is to lower squat volume on individual days and increase frequency by squatting every day (e.g. for 2 sets)

It will look something like:
M    A
T      B
W    C
Th    D
Fr     E
Sa     F
Su     Rest